Newells Old Boys vs River Plate Predictions

Sunday’s Superliga Argentina action sees Newell’s Old Boys doing battle with River Plate at the Estadio Marcelo Bielsa. The visitors come into the game as big favourites and will be looking to take the points back with them to Buenos Aires.

Coming into the season under the threat of relegation on the average points table after some poor recent campaigns, Newell’s looked to have pulled off a masterstroke in appointing ex-Talleres boss Frank Kudelka. Indeed La Lepra started the season in excellent shape, losing just 1 of their first 9 matches but some concerning performances have since started to creep in.

It’s not time to hit the panic button by any means and the hosts are now 7 points clear of danger but the fact they’ve now lost 3 of their last 4 matches does have to be a concern. To have any chance of taking something from a clash with River, Newell’s will have to be at their best but having also failed to score in all of said 3 defeats, it remains to be seen if the hosts will be able to give the visitors much to think about.

Meanwhile, River Plate arrive a wounded beast after a dramatic Copa Libertadores final defeat to Flamengo in Lima last weekend. Marcelo’s Gallardo’s troops were set to become only the second team ever to record back-to back Libertadores title wins but somehow went from winning in the 89th minute to being 2-1 losers at full time, leaving hearts broken.

Nonetheless, the visitors cannot afford to dwell on said disappointment as they’ve also got a league title to challenge for. Winning the Superliga crown is a real objective for the side this year and although they’ve made an ok start in taking 24 points from 13 games, they still have a touch of ground to make up on the league’s frontrunners.

Ultimately, this is a match you’d have to fancy River to win and they’ll be highly motivated to get the job done. On it’s day, the Estadio Marcelo Bielsa can be a tough place to visit but Newell’s aren’t in great shape at the moment and River have quality all over the pitch the hosts can only dream of.

All things considered, backing an away win looks the best way to play as far as the betting is concerned and is something we’re more than happy to do. River are unbeaten in a staggering 12 away league matches, winning 8 times in the process and that’s a streak we fancy them to continue via a 1-0 margin of victory.